Taiwan’s coastguard says Chinese warships are withdrawing after two days of live-fire drills simulating a blockade, but some vessels remain nearby.
TAIPEI: Chinese warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing from waters around Taiwan, the island’s coastguard said on Wednesday.
Deputy director-general Hsieh Ching-chin indicated the military drills appeared to be “over”.
“The warships and coastguard vessels are withdrawing, but a few are still lingering outside the 24-nautical-mile line,” he told AFP.
Taiwan’s coastguard is maintaining a deployment of 11 ships because Chinese vessels “haven’t completely left the area yet”.
China launched the two-day live-fire drills on Monday, simulating a blockade of Taiwan’s key ports.
Taipei slammed the war games as “highly provocative and reckless” but said they failed to impose a blockade.
Beijing has not yet publicly declared the drills finished.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office called the exercises a “stern warning to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces”.
“They are a necessary and just measure to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” spokeswoman Zhang Han said.
The drills involved destroyers, frigates, fighters and bombers conducting simulated strikes.
China’s military said the exercises tested capabilities for “integrated blockade and control”.
The show of force follows a major round of US arms sales to Taipei and comments from Japan’s prime minister.
Japan said on Wednesday the drills “increase tensions” and it had expressed concerns to Beijing.
Australia also condemned China’s “destabilising” military drills around Taiwan.
The exercises were held as the US ambassador to China met with his Quad counterparts from Australia, India and Japan.
US ambassador David Perdue said the Quad is “a force for good working to maintain a free and open Indopacific”.
